Gradient is now powered by windmills

Meet our newest team member, Stefan, from the Netherlands!

We can all relate to the thoughts of playing in the Major Leagues when we were a kid. It’s an indescribable feeling when you dream about hitting that near 100 mph fastball out of the stadium. This feeling became my reality as soon as I joined Gradient. The high-profile clients, excellent deliverables developed with meticulous care by using state-of-the-art modeling and analysis techniques make me feel like I’m batting in the MLB!

Feelings of uncertainty and doubt about the future are inextricably linked to being a recent graduate. However, after my first week at Gradient, these feelings vanished immediately. I’ve been taken in as if I was a long-lost son. At first, the transparency within the company was overwhelming, yet it is quickly becoming my favorite feature. It not only improves internal communication — it also makes me feel that, even after a week, I’m already a fully integrated employee.

Alright, enough about my feelings. Let’s talk about what my role as a Quantitative Analyst means for Gradient. But first, let me take you on my academic journey. I started my university adventure at the technical university in Eindhoven (TU/E). Wait, where? Right, I forgot to mention that I’m a Dutch citizen. I’ll be generating quantitative insights while sitting in a field of tulips wearing clogs. Anyway, I studied Innovation Sciences. Which is a broad term for everything related to the combination of technology and psychology. Afterwards I finished a more business related master’s degree at the Tilburg University (UvT) in Marketing & Management.

As you might know — a data scientist, or quantitative analyst — operates at the intersection of statistics, business and computer science. All these things are right up my alley, and make me into the utility player that Gradient has been searching for. For each new client, I will immerse myself into their business and understand their underlying goals, motivations and opportunities.

Once we have developed a hypotheses, obtained the required data and transformed the information into a usable format, I’ll get cracking on developing statistically robust models. Which is where a lot of data scientists call it a day — not me though, and especially not Gradient. We will guide you through our development process and surface meaning from the analysis.

Each project will require me to learn new techniques and explore new research topics. Not a single day will be the same. One day I might have to code non-stop to finish a sprint, while the other I will be practicing a client presentation in front of the mirror. Variety drives me, be it in my work or in my personal life, I never want to live the same day twice.

Working for an international company like Gradient resonates deeply with me. The cultural dynamic is extremely interesting and provides a challenging yet rewarding workflow. On a more personal level I enjoy learning about one’s background and cultural habits. Back in 2010, when I was 18, I went on a life-changing backpacking trip to Australia and New Zealand. Even more of a cultural shock came to me when I followed an internship in Dubai.

I’m adventurous by nature and my passion for the outdoors might be an obsession. Climbing in the Scottish Highlands, hiking through the Belgium Ardennes, camping in a French province or actually enjoying an outdoor bootcamp in my local town, ‘s Hertogenbosch. Besides the outdoors, I’ll be listening to music wherever I go. Spending hours on Spotify optimizing a playlist (of course accompanied by a meta-data analysis.) for every single occasion is one of my favorite past-times.